The road from Ur of Chaldea to Canaan is not straightforward. You can’t go straight from Ur to Canaan— the most direct route goes across desert and would be difficult for a group of people traveling by foot and donkey. Most likely, they traveled up the Euphrates River Valley to Haran and then over into Syria, down to Damascus, and finally into Canaan—a journey of hundreds of miles. But more than that, Abraham had to leave behind everything that gave him security and meaning. He left his country, his language, his family and his home. It would be dangerous enough to make this trip right now—going through Iraq, skirting around the area held by Isis, venturing into the land controlled by the Kurds and then into Syrian held territory. Strangers coming into a new area would encounter skepticism and even hostility (if they were not killed on sight). It would not have been too different in Abraham’s time. There was no government to protect his rights, no United Nations taking care of refugees
